The Affordable Care Act (ACA), or what many may call the “Obamacare,” is met to ensure the best quality healthcare for all Americans, regardless of age, sex, and gender or health status. The Affordable Care Act will also address the problem of insurers denying coverage to children living with HIV/AIDS.

Insurance companies will no longer be able to impose lifetime caps on benefits. These changes will begin to improve access to coverage for people living with HIV/AIDS. It is a known fact that people living with HIV and AIDS have in the past, and even in recent history, received less than adequate healthcare.

An estimated one-third of Americans diagnosed with HIV aren’t receiving any kind of treatment. One reason, and probably the hardest to overcome, is simply that they are unable to afford it.

The ACA will encourage states to expand Medicaid provisions, but the federal government cannot require these states to comply. States such as Texas have already said bluntly that they will not cooperate with these Medicaid provisions or rules.

Is the Affordable Care Act destined to be a failure for those living with HIV/AIDS, since several states are unwilling to comply with federal provisions? Should states have the option to decline or not comply with these various implications or provisions?

We are already failing to close the gaps among those who do not have adequate healthcare due to overall lack of support among government officials and policy makers. Many would agree that the federal government should have the authority to mandate such ACA guidelines for all states to follow.

Medicaid is the biggest provider of coverage for people living with HIV, according to the Kaiser Foundation. Medicaid programs make up about half of the federal spending on HIV. The individuals who cannot receive coverage through Medicaid will have to depend on the Ryan White Act, which provides funding to about a half-million people with HIV/AIDS each year.

The Affordable Care Act calls for new investments in community health teams to manage chronic disease. The new law also recognizes the value of patient-centered medical homes as an effective way to strengthen the quality of care, especially for people with complex chronic conditions.

Healthcare issues should be of major concern in this country. The ACA will set us on the necessary path to become a society less involved in the benefits of “I” and more in the idea of “we.” This nation is known as an innovator, and with the Affordable Care Act we can continue this trend and further impress the ideas of equality of care for all citizens.